Now, the hospital has been named to the Immunization Action Coalition’s honor roll. The honor roll recognizes health care organizations that have taken the lead in requiring influenza vaccinations in health care settings.

A scholastic success story? Well, sort of.

In October 2011, Parkland implemented a policy that all health care workers and volunteers, as well as clerical, dietary, housekeeping and laboratory staff, must receive an influenza vaccine or face disciplinary consequences. Exemptions are allowed for medical and religious reasons; those employees are required to wear a mask at work during flu season.

More than 96 percent of Parkland’s employees, residents and fellows in training programs and UT Southwestern doctors practicing at Parkland received a flu vaccine. All medical students rotating at Parkland during flu season were vaccinated.

Earlier in 2011, highly critical federal inspections of Parkland faulted the hospital for severe patient safety deficiencies that put its Medicare and Medicaid funding at risk. Parkland continues to operate under a "corrective action plan," which lists improvements the federal government has insisted on in order for the hospital to continue to receive hundreds of millions of dollars annually in Medicare and Medicaid.

The hospital has until April to fix hundreds of patient safety and other quality-of-care problems or lose the funding and face possible closure. The hospital has said it's on track to make those changes.

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